Physics & Math, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 15, 2022

Something is wrong with Einstein's theory of gravity

Everything in the universe has gravity – and feels it too. Yet this most common of all fundamental forces is also the one that presents the biggest challenges to physicists. Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity has been remarkably successful in describing the gravity of stars and planets, but it...

Feb 8, 2023

Physicists want to use gravitational waves to 'see' the beginning of time

Ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves could help reveal the secrets at the dawn of time, just moments after the Big Bang, new research suggests. And physicists say they can learn more about these primeval gravitational waves using nuclear fusion reactors here on Earth. In a new study, physicists...

Feb 9, 2023

Scientists reveal 'invisible' galaxy from the early universe, using space-time trick predicted by Einstein

Researchers have finally revealed the details of an extremely distant and dark galaxy that's been nearly impossible to see — until now. The young, star-forming galaxy is filled with dust and gas, and formed 2 billion years after the Big Bang, the researchers report — an era more than 11...

Feb 15, 2023

Da Vinci understood key aspect of gravity centuries before Einstein, lost sketches reveal

Leonardo da Vinci may have had an understanding of gravity that was centuries ahead of his time, his sketchbooks reveal. Da Vinci's sketches, which were forgotten for decades, show triangles formed by sand-like particles pouring from a jar. These falling grains depicted experiments to show that gravity was a form...

Aug 1, 2023

Rare 'Einstein cross' warps light from one of the universe's brightest objects in this stunning image

Astronomers have discovered a stunning, rare example of an Einstein cross splitting and magnifying light from the far depths of the universe. In the image, one foreground elliptical galaxy, around 6 billion light-years from Earth, has warped and quadrisected a bright beam of light from a background galaxy about 11...

Sep 27, 2023

Major CERN experiment proves antigravity doesn't exist — at least when it comes to antimatter

On Sept. 27, an international team of physicists reported a major finding about an elusive form of matter known as antimatter. It appears that antimatter responds to gravity the same way regular matter does, validating theories proposed by Albert Einstein more than a century ago. This result marks the first-ever...

Oct 16, 2023

Elusive Planet Nine could be an alternative form of gravity masquerading as a planet, study claims

The elusive Planet Nine, which is theorized to be lurking somewhere in the outer reaches of the solar system, may not be a planet after all, a new study suggests. Instead, what we assumed to be a massive object could be evidence that gravity doesn't work like we thought it...

Jun 10, 2013

'Dark Matter' of Life: Mysterious Bacteria Captured

The genome of mysterious bacteria that lurk in hospital drains has been sequenced. Low levels of the bacteria, known only as candidate phylum TM6, have been found in water systems around the world, yet because they could not be cultured in the lab, almost nothing was known about them. The...

Jun 10, 2013

New Kind of Dark Matter Could Form 'Dark Atoms'

The mysterious dark matter that makes up most of the matter in the universe could be composed, in part, of invisible and nearly intangible counterparts of atoms, protons and electrons, researchers say. Dark matter is an invisible substance thought to make up five-sixths of all matter in the universe. Scientists...

Oct 30, 2013

Dark Matter Eludes Scientists in 1st Results from Super-Sensitive Detector

A new experiment buried deep underground has proven itself to be the most sensitive dark-matter detector ever built. But the first results from the high-tech instrument have turned up empty in its search for elusive dark matter, scientists announced today (Oct. 30). Housed 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) underground in the...

Dec 9, 2013

Elusive Dark Matter May Have Already Been Found

The mysterious dark matter that makes up most of the matter in the universe may already have been detected with superconducting circuits, researchers say. Dark matter is currently one of the greatest mysteries in the cosmos — an invisible substance thought to make up five-sixths of all matter in the...

Jan 22, 2014

Dark Matter Mystery Could Be Solved in Next 10 Years

Updated at 8:54 a.m. ET. Dark matter — the mysterious stuff that is thought to make up most of the matter in the known universe — may reveal itself during the next decade, one prominent scientist predicts. When the moment comes, it will result in a pivotal paradigm shift in...

Jan 30, 2014

To Date, Particle Supercollider Detects No Evidence Of Dark Matter

(ISNS) -- Dark matter is currently one of the greatest mysteries in the universe. Now, scientists reveal that the most powerful particle collider in the world has unearthed no signs of the hypothesized dark matter, placing new limits on what it could be. Dark matter is hypothesized to be an...

Feb 14, 2014

Dark-Matter Detector to Begin Operations Soon in China

China is entering the race to detect mysterious dark matter in a big way, with a huge facility in Sichuan province set to begin collecting data in the coming weeks. The $8 million PandaX (Particle and Astrophysical Xenon) experiment — which lies 7,874 feet (2,400 meters) underground, inside a mountain...

Apr 19, 2014

Searching High and Low for Dark Matter (Q+A)

Bruce Lieberman is a freelance science writer based in San Diego, Calif. He frequently writes about astrophysics for The Kavli Foundation and has also written for Air & Space Magazine, Sky & Telescope, Scientific American and other media outlets. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights...